Gangtok, Jun 15 (PTI) The Sikkim unit of the BJP organised a candlelight vigil at M G Marg here on Sunday evening to honour the memory of the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash.

All but one of the 242 passengers of the London-bound Air India flight (AI171) and 29 people on the ground, including five MBBS students, were killed when the plane crashed into the campus of a medical college moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on June 12.

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Sikkim BJP media in-charge Niren Bhandari said that the vigil was a poignant display of unity and remembrance. The participants observed a moment of silence for the departed souls.

In a gesture of solidarity, tourists from Ahmedabad visiting Sikkim joined the local community in the vigil, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in prayer and mourning.

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Bhandari said that the Sikkim unit of the BJP expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and prays for peace for the departed and strength for those left behind.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)